Monthly Archives: February 2016

February 16, 2016

Start of Dry Phase of Northeast Monsoon in Second Half of February

Short-duration thundery showers on some days

Advisory

Singapore, 16 February 2016 – For the next fortnight, Northeast Monsoon conditions are forecast to persist with the low level winds blowing predominantly from the north or northeast. The prevailing wet phase of the Northeast Monsoon season is expected to gradually transition to the dry phase of the season around the last week of the month. The dry phase of the Northeast Monsoon season is characterised by drier weather and occasionally windy conditions.

2. For the rest of February 2016, localised short-duration thundery showers are expected on 5 to 6 days in the afternoon due to strong solar heating of land areas and convergence of winds in the surrounding vicinity. Rainfall for February 2016 is expected to be near average.

3. It is expected to be drier and warmer in the second half of February 2016 compared to the first two weeks of the month. The temperature for the next fortnight is forecast to range between 25°C and 34°C. The mean monthly temperature for February 2016 is likely to be warmer than the long-term mean of 27.1°C for February. February 2016 could rank among the top five warmest February since records started in 1929.

Review (1 – 15 February 2016)

4. Northeast Monsoon conditions prevailed during the first fortnight of February 2016 with the low level winds over the region blowing predominantly from the northeast. During the Chinese New Year period (7 – 10 February 2016), a monsoon surge brought occasional windy conditions and moderate to heavy rain to areas in the southern South China Sea region.

5. On 7 February 2016, the monsoon surge brought widespread moderate rain to Singapore. The rain occurred from around midnight to the early afternoon, and the highest total daily rainfall recorded was 46.8mm over the northwestern part of the island. For the next three days (8 to 10 February 2016), with a shift in the winds to blow from the north, Singapore experienced cool, cloudy and occasional windy conditions with brief periods of light to moderate rain. Most of the heavy rain as a result of the surge fell over the sea areas to the south of Singapore. Daily maximum temperatures of below 30°C were recorded in Singapore on consecutive days during the Chinese New Year period.

6. For the rest of the review period, Singapore experienced thundery showers mostly in the afternoons and evenings due to strong solar heating of land areas coupled with localised wind convergence. The showers were heaviest on 12 February 2016 where the highest total daily rainfall recorded was 60.2mm around Ang Mo Kio.

7. Most parts of Singapore received above average rainfall in the first half of February 2016. The highest rainfall 125mm (72% above average) was recorded over the northern part of Singapore around Woodlands. Rainfall was lowest over the eastern part of Singapore around Changi, where 41mm (28% below average) was recorded.

8. There were a few warm days during the review period where the highest daily maximum temperature recorded ranged from 33.8°C to 34°C. The lowest daily minimum temperature recorded on a few days was between 21.5°C and 23.5°C. Despite the cooler weather experienced between 7 and 10 February 2016, the mean daily minimum temperature in the first fortnight of February 2016 was 25.9°C which is significantly warmer than the long-term mean of 24.3°C. In addition, the mean daily temperature of 28°C is warmer than the long-term February climatology of 27.1°C.

CLIMATE STATION STATISTICS FOR FEBRUARY (Climatological reference period: 1981 – 2010)

Mean daily maximum temperature	31.7 degrees Celsius
Mean daily minimum temperature	24.3 degrees Celsius
Mean monthly temperature	27.1 degrees Celsius
Mean rainfall for the month	112.8 mm
Mean number of rain days	8
Highest monthly mean daily maximum temperature	33.5 degrees Celsius (2010)
Lowest monthly mean daily minimum temperature	23.0 degrees Celsius (1982)
Highest monthly rainfall	470.4 mm (1984)
Lowest monthly rainfall	0.2 mm (2014)

February 2, 2016

World Meteorological Day 2016 Photo Competition

As we celebrate World Meteorological Day 2016, we are calling all avid shutterbugs to take this opportunity to showcase your best photographs which depict this year’s theme:

Photographs should be of locations in Singapore and Southeast Asia. Selected photographs will be featured on our website and used in other MSS educational and publicity material that reach a wide audience. In addition, winners will get a copy of“The Weather and Climate of Singapore”, a book written by a senior meteorologist in MSS!

Please email your photographs to NEA_MSS_Engage@nea.gov.sg with the subject “WMD2016 Photo Competition” with your name, and include a brief description of where and when they were taken. Submitted photographs should have a minimum resolution of 640 x 480 pixels. Closing date: 31 Mar 2016.

*NOTE* You hereby agree that by your actions of sending MSS the photographs, you permit MSS to have the non-exclusive license/right to use such submissions for its official publications.

More About World Meteorological Day 2016

World Meteorological Day commemorates the entry into force of the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) Convention which created the organisation in 1950. The day also recognises the work of meteorologists from across the globe. Each year, on 23 March, Singapore joins the other members of WMO to celebrate World Meteorological Day around a chosen theme. The theme for 2016 is: “Hotter, Drier, Wetter. Face the Future.”

HOTTER: In 2015 heatwaves affected Europe, northern Africa and the Middle East through the late spring and summer, with many new temperature records set. July brought heat waves to a large area from Denmark in the north, to Morocco in the south and Iran in the east. The heat continued in August and into September, shifting further into Eastern Europe.

DRIER: In 2015 dry areas included Central America and the Caribbean, northeast South America including Brazil, parts of central Europe and Russia, parts of Southeast Asia, Indonesia and southern Africa. In Western North America, long-term drought conditions continued. Basins across the west depend on snowpack as a water resource. On 1 April, the snow water equivalent was 5% of normal.

WETTER: In 2015 areas of high rainfall included: southern areas of the USA, Mexico, Bolivia, southern Brazil, southeast Europe, areas of Pakistan and Afghanistan. Heavy rain in January led to flooding in Malawi, Zimbabwe and Mozambique, and in February it affected Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia. 2015 saw exceptional seasonal rainfall totals in several parts of Burkina Faso and Mali.

FACE THE FUTURE: Fortunately, the world’s governments are now fully convinced of the scientific evidence of climate change and the need to take urgent action. More research and investment is needed for advancing low-carbon technologies, particularly in the energy sector. But already many policies, technologies and actions are available, and their deployment needs to be scaled up. Individual citizens, community leaders, businesses, civil society organisations, governments and the United Nations system must all contribute.

Singapore’s National Climate Change Study Findings

Phase 1 of the Second National Climate Change Study was led by MSS’ Centre for Climate Research Singapore (CCRS). Findings were released on 15 April 2015. The study involved tailored climate projections for Singapore which were of a higher spatial resolution than the global dataproduced under the Inter-governmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) 5th Assessment Report (AR5). The Second National Climate Change Study projects that Singapore will experience significant changes in sea-level, temperature and rainfall (see infographic below).

Click here to learn more about this study

February 1, 2016

Warm Conditions to Continue Following Record Warm January

Lunar New Year period expected to be rainy

Advisory

Singapore, 1 February 2016 – Northeast Monsoon conditions are forecast to persist in February 2016 with the prevailing low level winds blowing predominantly from the north or northeast.

2. In the first fortnight of February 2016, short-duration thundery showers are expected mostly in the afternoon on four to five days. The showers may be heavy at times on days when there is convergence of winds coupled with strong solar heating of land areas. For two or three days around the Lunar New Year period, a monsoon surge[1] is forecast to affect the region and this is expected to bring widespread rain and occasionally windy conditions to Singapore. Rainfall for the first two weeks of February 2016 is expected to be slightly above average.

3. The warmer temperatures experienced in the past few months are expected to extend into the first fortnight of February 2016. During this period, the daily maximum and minimum temperatures could reach as high as 34°C and 27°C respectively on some days.

Review (1 – 31 January 2016)

4. The Northeast Monsoon season prevailed in January 2016, and the low level winds blew predominantly from the northeast.

5. Apart from a weak monsoon surge which brought widespread moderate rain over Singapore on a few days in the first week of January 2016, the rest of the month experienced afternoon and early evening thundery showers on most days due to strong solar heating of land areas and convergence of winds in the vicinity of Singapore. The thundery showers were heaviest on 22 January 2016 where the highest total daily rainfall recorded was 78.8mm around the Kent Ridge area.

6. Most parts of Singapore received below average rainfall in January 2016. Rainfall was lowest over the north-eastern part of Singapore around Sengkang, where 86 mm to 98 mm (56 to 62% below average) was recorded. The highest rainfall of 235 mm to 322 mm (9 to 59% above average) was recorded in the western part of Singapore around Jurong.

7. Despite the occurrence of showers on many days in January 2016, significantly warmer than usual conditions were experienced during the month. The mean daily maximum temperature (31.6°C) and mean daily minimum temperature (26.0°C) for January 2016 are 1.2°C and 2.1°C above their respective long-term means.

8. The mean monthly temperature of 28.3°C for January 2016 marks the warmest ever January since temperature records began in 1929, surpassing the previous record of 28.0°C set in January 1998. This follows the warmest December on record the previous month. December and January are climatologically the coolest months of the year.

CLIMATE STATION STATISTICS FOR FEBRUARY (Climatological reference period: 1981 – 2010)

Mean daily maximum temperature	112.8 mm
Highest rainfall ever recorded	470.4 mm (1984)
Lowest rainfall ever recorded	0.2 mm (2014)
Average number of raindays	8
Mean daily maximum temperature	31.7 degrees Celsius
Mean daily minimum temperature	24.3 degrees Celsius
Mean monthly temperature	27.1 degrees Celsius

[1] A monsoon surge is characteristic of the wet phase of the Northeast Monsoon season (Dec – Jan). It is due to the strengthening of northeasterly winds over the South China Sea and our surrounding region, and can bring widespread rain to coastal areas in the Southeast Asia region. Read more at https://www.weather.gov.sg/learn_weather_systems.

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